Thursday, October 05, 2006

David Hevel at Heather Marx (SF)


Alert: This exhibit is scheduled to close on 10/
14/06.

In David Hevel’s sculptures, a gaggle of aesthetic styles—all tacky—seem to have shacked up, taken drugs, and given birth to monsters. Much of the DNA is provided by the styles of taxidermy, porcelain animal figures, corporate floral arrangements, wedding bouquets, necklaces (especially the multi-chain type), and perhaps FAO Schwarz store displays.

Usually each sculpture is centered around an animal figure representing a young female celebrity, after whom the piece is named. Here “celebrity” means tabloids more than talent. The honorees in the current show at Heather Marx Gallery include Beyoncé (tiger), Mariah Carey (goat), and Tyra Banks (giraffe, shown above in an image from the gallery website).

The current show is fun, but I actually preferred Hevel’s previous work, where the overabundance of detail gave the work a giddy, unnerving energy. Hevel is always engaging, but at his best, he is jaw-dropping.

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